Kaysen Says Belvoir Ranch Lease Could Bring in $2-4 Million

Cheyenne Mayor Rick Kaysen says a proposed lease of 12,000 acres of the city-owned Belvoir Ranch by the Morley Companies of Jackson could generate millions of dollars for the city. Morley wants to build a 150 tower wind farm on the site. The company is asking for a 35 year lease, which Kaysen says could generate $2 million annually if the electricity generated by the farm is sold regionally, or up to $4 million a year if it’s sold on the west coast. Kaysen says from the city’s perspective the lease carries little risk other than the use of city-owned land. The lease proposal goes to the full Cheyenne City Council on August 13th, with the Council Finance Committee expected to consider the measure before it goes back to the full council for final consideration. The final vote could come as early as August 27th if there are no delays.

Because the project must clear several regulatory hurdles the mayor says it would probably take several years to get the wind farm up and running. Kaysen says it’s not known at this point how many jobs the wind farm would create, either during the construction phase or once the wind farm is operational.